The Off Topic Topic

[derspiess]

Absolutely.

[Barrister]

My wife says she doesn't care about the difference between HD and standard def, and I think she says it just to piss me off.

Do you think Blu-Ray movies look better than DVD movies?  I'm in the middle of building a new PC and decided to skip including a Blu-Ray drive (for now, at least).

If the competition is between Blu-Ray and upscaled DVDs, I'm not sure Blu-Ray is a winner.

[Caliga]

Absolutely.

To the point that it's worth it to have a Blu-Ray setup?

[Caliga]

Husband of Katherine Harris kills himself, police say
From John Murgatroyd and Jamie Morrison, CNN

updated 12:31 PM EST, Tue November 19, 2013


(CNN) -- The husband of former Florida congresswoman and Secretary of State Katherine Harris was found dead Tuesday morning, apparently by his own hand, Sarasota police and the family's pastor said.

Anders Ebbesen, 68, had been ill, "but it is unknown if that is why he took his own life," Pastor William Hild, of the First Baptist Church of Sarasota, said in a statement released by Sarasota police. "The family is asking for privacy, prayers, thoughts and love from the community."

The nature of Ebbesen's illness was not disclosed, but Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino added that Harris "wanted the community, her family and friends to know that her husband is no longer suffering."

Police were called to the couple's bayfront home around 7:30 a.m. to investigate a reported suicide, Sarasota police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge said. Hild said Ebbeson died of a self-inflicted gunshot.

Harris became a national lightning rod during the bitterly fought Florida recount that capped the 2000 presidential race. She was the co-chair of George W. Bush's campaign in Florida and oversaw the state's vote tally as secretary of state, eventually certifying the Republican as the winner by 537 votes over his Democratic rival, Vice President Al Gore.

The Florida Supreme Court ordered a statewide recount of disputed ballots, but the U.S. Supreme Court brought a halt to further recounts, paving the way for Bush to become president. Harris won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2002, serving two terms before running unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2006.

Heavens to Murgatroyd!  How will Queen Ester's husband get into heaven now?

[Grey Fox]

Absolutely.

To the point that it's worth it to have a Blu-Ray setup?

Not on your computer. Stream baby, Stream.

[Caliga]

So what I'm thinking of doing is this: once I finish building my new PC, I'm thinking of building an entertainment center in the living room and moving the old PC in there as a media server, at which point I was thinking of putting the Blu-Ray drive into it.

[Grey Fox]

Now that's a good idea.

Altho, buying a PS3 might be cheaper at this point. How much are blu-ray drives?

[crazy canuck]

What would you put in the drive?  Are you really going to get any blu ray disks?

We watch everything through either pay for view or netflixs now.

[Caliga]

I guess another question is: are movies on Blu-Ray somehow better than movies you would d/l from say Netflix?

[Ed Anger]

Martin Bashir apologizes for saying somebody should shit in Sarah Palin's mouth.

Brits. 

You keep him and Piers Morgan. We'll keep Madonna

Or re-gift them to Canada.

[mongers]

My wife says she doesn't care about the difference between HD and standard def, and I think she says it just to piss me off.

Do you think Blu-Ray movies look better than DVD movies?  I'm in the middle of building a new PC and decided to skip including a Blu-Ray drive (for now, at least).

If the competition is between Blu-Ray and upscaled DVDs, I'm not sure Blu-Ray is a winner.

To me eyes, they seem noticeably better.

[Syt]

Now that's a good idea.

Altho, buying a PS3 might be cheaper at this point. How much are blu-ray drives?

My first cost 200. I replaced it two years later with one that cost 60 and had much better quality and features.

[CountDeMoney]

Yeah, there are better stand-alone Blu-Rays out there that are less expensive than the PS3, which wasn't exactly a top-of-the-line Blu-Ray when it came out in the first place.  It's passable, though.

[Barrister]

I guess another question is: are movies on Blu-Ray somehow better than movies you would d/l from say Netflix?

Even at 1080p Netflix applies a fairly strong compression.  You can definitely notice a difference in quality.

HOWEVER...

Does that difference in quality make up for the ridiculous ease of watching something on Netflix?  I don't think so.

[CountDeMoney]

As long as you realize your cable provider isn't giving you anywhere close to that kind of quality with the video compression through their pipes.